Jurgen Klopp admits it is “no secret” Liverpool are looking to make further signings, with a “proven No. 6” clearly among the targets.
The Reds have been linked with a number of midfield names to complement the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai earlier in the summer, with the departure of Fabinho accentuating the need for a more defensive-minded purchase.
Romeo Lavia appears to be at the top of that list, with the Reds said to be preparing a second bid after an initial £37 million offer was rejected last month.
Speaking ahead of his side’s friendly with Bayern Munich, Klopp revealed that the club are “still looking” for reinforcements, but did indicate that Curtis Jones is seen as a viable option in the No. 6 position.
“I think it is no secret that we are still looking for players to join us,” the boss told the media on Tuesday morning.
“Curtis can absolutely play that position. Can he play it when nobody else is defending in the team? No chance. But then I don’t know any player that could play it then.”
Jones has been deployed as a deep-lying midfielder in Liverpool’s 3-4-3 ‘box’ formation during pre-season, having impressed there for England en route to winning the U21 Euros.
While Klopp is keen to seek solutions from within, he conceded that there are no “proven” players for that role within his squad and that that is something he hopes to rectify in the transfer market.
“A proven No. 6 is not available in the moment. If we make an excuse of that and think say ‘OK, how can we do that then?’, then we have a problem,” he continued.
“If you see it as a positive challenge, try to find a way to be compact already – or even more so – or to find a way to deny the opponent. If you do that together, it’s always possible.”
Wednesday’s meeting with Bayern Munich is Liverpool’s final overseas fixture of the summer and brings an end to the Singapore leg of their preparations.
One last warm-up at Deepdale against Darmstadt separates the Reds from the start of the real business on August 7 as they aim for a flying start to 2023/24.
